Swilly Gardening Club
There was a great turn out at the Swilly Gardening Club last week. Members old and new turned up at the angling centre in Buncrana to hear Dennis Doherty talk about the spring lawn. Dennis has plenty of experience of working in the great outdoors, as he was the green keeper at Ballyliffen golf club for over 30 years and his expertise shows. He gave some top tips for looking after lawns.
Looking After Lawns
“Grass will need some fertiliser at this time of the year,” Dennis begins. “ I use 2 oz per square yard of a 5.5.10 ratio. For lawns with moss growing in it, apply sulphate of iron mixed with sand. Sulphate of iron tones the lawn and turns the moss black which can then be raked up, leaving room for the grass to develop,” he carries on. “Sulphate of iron also helps to control red thread disease, but be careful as it can stain driveways,” he warns. “Mowing the lawn is something that we will need to be doing now and if you want a perfect example you will have to cut it up to three times a week!” Dennis knows that this would be highly impractical for most people and accepts that one cut a week is more realistic. “Change the direction of the cut often to stop ridges forming in the soil. If you see patches of ground that look unhealthy fork the area to aerate the ground then add sharp sand into the holes to improve drainage.”
There was a great turn out at the Swilly Gardening Club last week. Members old and new turned up at the angling centre in Buncrana to hear Dennis Doherty talk about the spring lawn. Dennis has plenty of experience of working in the great outdoors, as he was the green keeper at Ballyliffen golf club for over 30 years and his expertise shows. He gave some top tips for looking after lawns.
Looking After Lawns
“Grass will need some fertiliser at this time of the year,” Dennis begins. “ I use 2 oz per square yard of a 5.5.10 ratio. For lawns with moss growing in it, apply sulphate of iron mixed with sand. Sulphate of iron tones the lawn and turns the moss black which can then be raked up, leaving room for the grass to develop,” he carries on. “Sulphate of iron also helps to control red thread disease, but be careful as it can stain driveways,” he warns. “Mowing the lawn is something that we will need to be doing now and if you want a perfect example you will have to cut it up to three times a week!” Dennis knows that this would be highly impractical for most people and accepts that one cut a week is more realistic. “Change the direction of the cut often to stop ridges forming in the soil. If you see patches of ground that look unhealthy fork the area to aerate the ground then add sharp sand into the holes to improve drainage.”
Vine weevil
One of the biggest problems for plants in containers at this time of year is vine weevil. Dennis recommends using fresh soil or compost in the containers every year. “ The vine weevil beetles love to lay into soft compost and containers make an ideal breeding ground. The small white grubs can totally destroy your plants as they eat any roots they come into contact with.” He cautions “Use fresh compost and for larger specimens, that you cannot empty, you could use a chemical to kill them. For those of you like to be organic, try a nettle spray. Put the cut nettles into a container and steep for a week or so. Spray this onto the soil and let is drain in. This has been known to kill the pests.”
Make your own mini propagator
This idea came from Colm Grant at the gardening club in Buncrana. The protected environment is the perfect answer for people who want to grow a few plants from seed or cuttings, but are limited for space. This is a great way to re-use plastic containers and will hopefully keep them out of the landfills. The mini propagator is small enough to fit on any windowsill and can even be left in the greenhouse without watering for a long time, as the condensation that builds up runs down the sides back into the soil. It comes with it’s own control switch too. If the temperature needs to be reduced or air circulation increased, it’s just a simple job of unscrewing the lid!
Step 1
When you have finished with your plastic milk container (you can substitute this for any drinks bottle) give it a good wash inside and out. Cut the bottle in two leaving more room on the top section for air circulation.
Step 2
Cut two tags either side of the top section to a depth of about 1 inch (2.5 cm). This helps to keep the lid in place.
Step 3
Fill the bottom section with good quality potting compost or sterilised soil. Tamp this down so there is a 1inch gap between the soil and the top of the container.
Step 4
Sow your seeds or place cuttings into the soil.
Step 5
Carefully place the lid over the base, (putting the top part inside the base to allow condensation to run back down to the soil) and let the tags hold the lid firmly in place.
Check the mini propagator often to make sure your seeds are growing well. When they have germinated or the cuttings have rooted, take off the lid to harden them off before transplanting out into larger pots or outdoors.
